Rock 'n' Roll is Undead (Veronica Mason (22 page)

“Well I don’t exactly have anything worth taking.”

“Buzz moved across the room to the wall of bookshelves. “You got a lot of books.”

I shouldn’t have allowed him in my place. There was no way to hide what he was looking at.

“Spells, Charms and Potions? The Only Spell Book You’ll Ever Need? Are these your books?”

“Um, yes.” I stood next to him.

He pulled a book from the shelf. “Do they work?” He picked up the book with Love Spells written on the spine. “This one work?”

Maybe I could spare myself the misery and jump out the window now.

“That’s not mine.” I grabbed the book and placed it back on the shelf.

“Oh, I guess it’s a friend’s?”

“No smart-butt, as a matter of fact it was my aunt’s. She left it here.”

“Uh huh, whatever you say.”

So he really didn’t know about spell books? Or was he teasing me? Did that rule out him being a witch? Maybe he was a werewolf? That might be kind of cool. It would certainly round out the band.

“Well, thanks again for coming by.” I hurried him toward the door. “Oh, wait. I’ll have to walk you down. I have to lock the door behind you when you leave.”

“You really need one of those locks that lock themselves,” he said.

“You’re telling me. I’ve tried convincing my landlord of that for over a year.”

“Is that how long you’ve lived here?”

“Yeah, I lived, um, somewhere else before.”

He laughed. “I kind of figured that.”

Duh, yeah, that was a stupid statement.

“Where’d you live? Wait, you don't have to answer that. I can tell by the look on your face it’s not a subject you want to revisit anytime soon. You weren’t in prison, were you?” He chuckled.

Ouch. Did he think I was a criminal now because I’d stumbled upon a couple expired vampires?

“No.” My hand bumped his chest as I walked past. Honest. I didn’t do it on purpose. It didn’t register how near he stood until that moment. His chest was hard. Was the air conditioner not working? Or was it just me? I wondered what he looked like without his t-shirt. Standing next to him in my apartment felt comfortable. Did I really need to feel cozy with Buzz? No, what I needed was to lasso my hormones. In spite of what Kitty thought, we had a business relationship. It was nothing more than that. I needed to get him out of there. “I lived with my ex,” I said.

“Oh.” His lips pursed in recognition of my unhappiness with the subject. “Gotcha. Bad breakup?”

“Kind of, yeah…and he was the bass player for the band.”

His eyes widened. “Really? Were you involved with the last bass player, too?”

“I’m not sure what you’re implying, but no. If you think I get involved with all the bass players, you’re wrong.”

“Oh, no, no.” He held out his hands. “That’s not what I meant. I was just...talking out of my ass.”

“Well, that’s true, you were doing that.” I grinned.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know why I asked that. I thought maybe that was why you broke up with your ex.”

“No, it’s not. He was a jerk, that’s why we broke up. Not because of Johnny. We were just friends, and for the record, I don’t date all the bass players. As a matter of fact, I don’t date any band members. It’s a new policy. It turned out ugly when we broke up and I don’t need that kind of distraction right now with my career.”

“I understand. Again, I’m sorry. I guess now that I’ve put my foot in my mouth I can get out of your hair.”

“I’ll walk you out.” I hesitated. Tension between us was the last thing I needed right now, so I decided to forgive him for the stupid question. “Listen, I understand. You don’t think I date all band members. I forgive you for your stupid guy comment.” I grinned wide.

He laughed. “Thanks.” A smile twitched on his lips, then he winked at me.

I followed him out the door and down the stairs. This time, I checked him out. Just because I didn’t date band members, didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy the view once in a while. He opened the door and stepped out onto the porch. I had my hand on the knob, ready to shut the door, when he stopped me. He turned around. His face was close to mine. My breath caught in my throat. He parted his lips as if to speak, but didn’t. He moved forward, growing even closer.

“Thanks again for inviting me to join the band. I think you have the most beautiful voice I’ve ever heard.”

Chapter 42

Okay, I forgave him for the comment upstairs…and then some. He was officially off the hook.

“It would be a sin if more people don’t get the opportunity to hear you sing. If this producer doesn’t see that, well, he’s crazy.”

I looked down; I couldn’t even meet his eyes. Heat radiated in my cheeks. He inched closer to where I stood. His faint musky cologne filled the air around us. He did smell good, I couldn’t deny it. I wanted to breathe in more of the masculine scent, but decided against it. Too bad I couldn’t hold my breath for more than ten seconds. I supposed the easiest way would be to get away from him as soon as possible. But my feet didn’t seem to be moving and my brain obviously wasn’t forcing them to.

When I looked up, Buzz pressed his lips on mine. I knew it was wrong, yet I didn’t stop. I couldn’t pull away. His lips were soft and cool and lingered against mine for several seconds, then he pulled away. His leg touched mine and I felt as if I’d been prodded with a hot poker. Heat rushed through my body.

My limbs felt numb. My lips tingled. Was the sky spinning or was that just me?

“I know you don’t want to be involved, but I had to feel your beautiful lips, just once.” He turned and walked away. Halfway down the path, as I stood and watched him, he turned to me and said, “Close the door. I don’t want to worry about you, too.”

I nodded and shut the door. Locking it, then leaning against the hard frame, I felt like a teenage schoolgirl with a crush. Apparently, the love spell book hadn’t bothered Buzz. I didn’t want him to think I went around trying to get guys to fall in love with me. I’d only tried the one spell. And it was only to see if Rick had truly loved me. I guess in a roundabout way it had worked. He left me for a waitress from the bar where we had one of our gigs.

What had I just done? I’d just received the best kiss I’d ever had. Sure it was short, but it packed a powerful punch. My brain said, “don’t trust him,” but my lips had been all over him like Frank was all over cheap bottles of blood.

“I saw you out there making out on the stoop.”

The voice snapped me out of my kiss-induced fog.

“Take that stuff up to your apartment. You’ll give this place a bad reputation. It’s not a brothel we’re running here, is it?” He scrunched up his little wrinkled face.

“No, Mr. Cooper, it certainly isn’t a brothel.” The old fart.

Ignoring the rest of his complaining, I returned upstairs. My cell phone was ringing when I opened the door. Craig’s number was displayed on the screen.

“Hello,” I said, slightly out of breath from my millionth trek up those God-awful stairs.

“Hey, you okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine. I need to get in shape or move to the first floor.”

He chuckled. “I hear ya. Hey, listen, Frank is being released now.”

“Oh, you’re kidding. Thank goodness. No offense, but I had major reservations about your friend who could play a little.”

“I know, I know. No offense taken.”

“So what happened? Why was he arrested?

“Suspended license and no insurance.”

“I can’t believe him. As much as he complained that I couldn’t miss this gig and he almost ruins it because he can’t renew his license?”

“Really? Are you all that surprised?”

“I pay my bills. I vote. I return library books on time. Why can’t he even do something so simple?”

“I think it’s part of the badass reputation he wants to present. It’s a vampire thing.”

“Yeah, well, as hard as he tries, it’s not working.”

“Apparently he forgot to go to traffic school and they suspended his license. And he was speeding again without insurance. What if he’d wrecked and hurt someone?”

“Hey, you’re telling me. So where is he now?”

“I’m here waiting for the police to let him out, should be any minute now. Then I’ll drop him off and head home myself.”

“You must be so tired. Is your wife pissed?”

“Nah, she’ll be okay. I’ll make it up to her somehow.”

“Okay, be careful out there.” Literally. I wondered if he was worried about the vampire killer. He didn’t seem concerned. “And I’ll see you in the morning.”

“See ya.” He hung up.

I set the phone down and contemplated what he’d said. Frank really could be a pain in the ass sometimes. Actually, most of the time he was a pain in the ass.

After the call, I trudged across the room and collapsed into bed. The more I stared at the ceiling, the more restless I became. In honor of my dear, sweet, sometimes slightly wacky grandma, I decided to do a protection spell. To say I needed one was an understatement. Yes, I owned a cauldron, sure, but I’d never used it. Unless you count the time I burned all the pictures and mementos from Billy Bob Sparks. He’d been a rat, too. For potions, I always used a saucepan on top of the stove. Yeah, no wonder I was a half-assed witch—a saucepan for heaven’s sake. But really, who wanted to drag out a heavy steel cauldron for a potion that wasn’t going to work anyway.

I put a saucepan of spring water on the stove to boil while I retrieved my herbs from the pantry. Vervain, sea salt, frankincense and myrrh were the necessary ingredients. After the water had come to a steady boil, I poured it into a bowl and brought it into the other room, placing it in the middle of the floor.

With more of the sea salt in hand, I sprinkled the crystals on the wooden floor, drawing a small circle, enclosing myself within. The smell of earth tickled my nostrils and splashes of light—red, green, then blue—covered my vision for a few seconds. A small breeze stirred in the room.

As I placed the herbs in the boiling water, I spoke the words: Protection from all negativity surrounds me. Harm threefold to thee who sends destruction my way. All hateful actions directed toward me, will be inflicted upon thee. So mote it be.

A few pitiful sputters of smoke puffed up from the pot. The water boiled no more, the breeze had stilled, the lightshow in my vision stopped, and the smell of Mother Earth vanished. However, a shiny new tube of lipstick lay beside the pan. The label read Cha-Ching Cherry—another cheeky moniker for an otherwise ordinary red.

After sprinkling the potion around my windowsills and doors, I placed a small amount of the potion in an amulet and slipped it around my neck. No one could say I didn’t try to hone my witch skills.

What I did next might not have been the best idea considering everything that had taken place as of late, but I did it anyway. I never said I made the wisest decisions. After a short drive, I stood in front of Red’s Tattoo Shop. It was like gossip central—the equivalent of a beauty parlor for the rockabilly scene. Except they talked about music, hot rods, and babes, instead of dentures, fiber intake and grandchildren. The whirring sound of the needle buzzed as I wandered through the door. A guy, who looked as if he couldn’t possibly have room on his skin for more ink, glanced up and nodded.

“You come for a new one?” he asked.

The shop owner barely looked up as he continued the tattoo. The customer watched me from the worktable as I walked closer. The noise was hard to talk over.

“Not yet. I’ll be ready for a new one soon. What I really wanted was to ask you a few questions.”

“I don’t think I can help you with vampires,” Red said.

The guy on the table smirked.

“I try to keep my distance.” Red scoffed.

Great, a couple of smart-asses. Word sure did spread quickly. I bet wildfires spread slower. These guys didn’t waste any time. Was I the talk of the town already? I hoped the chatter wasn’t lies, though. That was the last thing I needed.

“This has nothing to do with vampires. I know you know just about everyone in the rockabilly scene around here.”

“I guess you could say that.” His focus on the arm in front of him was intent.

“I’m looking for someone who drives this old Cadillac I’ve seen around town.”

“What do you need with them?”

He asked almost as many questions as Detective Walker. I didn’t feel I needed to answer them truthfully.

“I’m interested in buying it.”

As I scanned the room, I waited for his answer. I’d expected more of a crowd in the place. Having more people in there would have made me feel less uneasy.

“An old Cadillac doesn’t tell me much. You want to give me a little more to go on?”

“It’s a fifty-seven. Gray, but it needs a paint job. There’s a fake skull on the dashboard.” Please let the thing be a leftover Halloween decoration.

“A skull, huh?” He stopped the machine and looked up at me, then started working on the tattoo again. “Yeah, I think I’ve seen it around a few times. You know that vampire who was killed a while back. Not the one you found, but—”

“You know about that? Who told you?” My mouth twitched.

“I do read the newspaper. I’m not illiterate. Front-page news. You’re a celebrity. Too bad it’s not for your music.”

It was as if I held a sign that read I discovered the staked vampires. I blew out a harsh breath. He was a pain in the ass just like Frank. Maybe they were brothers and I didn’t know it. Nah, he wasn’t a vampire and Frank would probably eat this guy for lunch. I could tell he thought he was tough, but I knew better. He was all show.

“Anyway, not that vampire. I’m talking about the bass player for The Hillbillies. Did you know him?”

“I didn’t know the guy personally. I’ve heard of the band.”

“Yeah, well anyway, I think it was his car. I heard he sold it. But before you go asking to who, I don’t know.” He paused. “You know, it’s funny you’re asking about that particular car…since he was killed, too.”

“Coincidence, I guess.” I shrugged.

I didn’t like this guy. By the way he eyed me up and down, it didn’t appear he liked me much either. The guy receiving the ink didn’t speak, but he stared also. I looked at his arm. The tattoo was a leopard. I wondered what special meaning it had to him, but I didn’t care enough to ask.